Sakura's Phoenix
by Inkworks
Summary: While on a mission, Sakura picks up a strangely colored bird with even stranger mannerisms. How will her life change now that she's taking care of this rather eccentric phoenix?
1. Chapter 1

_**Ink's Notes:**_

_Hello everyone, Ink here. This is admittedly my first fanfiction, so not only do I hope you enjoy it, but I hope that I don't mess up. While I do have experience with writing, I haven't got much with writing non-OC/FC types, so I hope everything turns out okay. Anyway, let's begin. I hope you enjoy!_

_Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are created by Masashi Kishimoto. One Piece was created by Eiichiro Oda. I do not own either series, nor do I own any characters from said series. I do own any fan characters that may appear for the sake of the story, and I do own this story itself. Thank you._

_I would also like to note that this story is told from the perspective of the shinobi, so some details about a certain cast member may be obvious to someone who's familiar with One Piece... but the shinobi are not, so those details will come up when it's appropriate during the story. I apologize in advance if this confuses anybody._

_Anyway, on to the story!_

Chapter One

The word Sakura would use to describe her current state of mind was _pissed_. She'd always had a soft spot for animals, so when Tsunade had told her that some traders were illegally capturing and selling rare animals, she had only stayed in the room because she needed the mission form to take care of them legally. Once she'd gotten it, Sakura had charged out of the room, gathered the supplies she'd need and reviewed the mission requirements – rescue the animals, take out the traders – and left Konoha in a blaze of fury.

When Sakura had arrived at the traders' camp, her anger had only amplified upon seeing the cages that were barely big enough to hold the animals in. She'd plowed through the traders and the mercenaries they'd hired to protect them before breaking open the cages to let the animals run free. Now, she found herself standing outside of their leader's tent, ready to crack his skull in, when she heard him speaking inside.

"My, this is an interesting bird! Such wonderful coloration! And these markings… no doubt he will fetch a high price!"

Sakura saw red and plowed straight in, barely taking time to register the sword headed towards her before she grabbed it and crushed it in her fist. She used her now bleeding hand to punch her attacker's face in before turning to the dumbstruck leader of the traders and the cage he was holding.

Inside the cage was a bird that almost seemed to be made of blue and pale orange flames, with markings that almost resembled glasses around its eyes. Against all odds, the bird seemed calm as it looked at Sakura. She felt herself calm down slightly, only for her rage to build up when she heard the leader of the traders speaking again.

Sakura didn't hear his words. She just charged forwards, slamming her fist into his face with a satisfying crunch. The man dropped the cage as he fell backwards, which Sakura caught and set down on a nearby table, tearing its door off. The bird hopped out of the cage, nodding to her in thanks.

"Ah… don't mention it," she sheepishly smiled, turning and making her way towards the exit. She stumbled slightly, catching herself and bringing her hand to her head. Sakura felt dizzy, and when she looked at her hand as she lowered it she noticed her vision seemed to be getting blurry. "What…?"

"Yoi!"

At the sound, she turned. The strange bird was flying over to her, carrying a vial of sorts. It began hovering in front of her, offering her the vial, which she slowly took and examined. It was hard to tell, but it looked like it read 'Antidote'.

Poison. The blade she'd broken earlier must have been poisoned. Why had she been so careless?

"Yoi!" the bird repeated, motioning to the vial she was now carrying. Sakura quickly removed the cork keeping it closed and drank its contents. Before long, she was feeling better as the antidote made its way through her system.

"Thanks," she nodded, tossing the now empty vial over her shoulder and bandaging her hand. "But how did you know?"

The bird looked confused, and Sakura realized why. The leader of the traders had been saying something before she'd punched him. If it was about how the blade she'd broken with her hand was poisoned, this bird would have heard. She cursed herself for being too angry to hear that.

"Where did you find the antidote?" Sakura asked. The bird seemed intelligent, and capable of understanding her words, at least.

"Yoi," was the response as he motioned towards the trade leader. _Of course_. If the people working for him used poison, he would carry the antidote on hand. She really wasn't thinking straight today. Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose to scold herself before looking at the bird again. He wasn't making any move to leave, despite the fact that he was no longer in a cage. Maybe he liked her? She wished she were from one of the clans that could understand animals.

"Aren't you going to go home?" Sakura asked the bird. The bird sadly shook his head. "You... don't have a home?" A slow nod was her confirmation. Sakura crossed her arms in thought. The bird was intelligent, not to mention it had potentially saved her life… She came to a decision. "Would you like to come back to Konoha with me?"

The bird didn't seem to know what Konoha was, but a nod and a "Yoi" indicated that he approved of the idea. He cautiously flew closer, and when Sakura didn't move he settled in on her shoulder. She smiled and scratched under his beak.

"Wonder how Tsunade's going to react…" she muttered under her breath before gathering up the traders to turn in, as per the mission requirements.

* * *

Tsunade could _swear_ she felt a headache coming on as she stared at the bird that was currently perched on her student's shoulder. In her time, she had never seen a bird that looked like him, and to make matters worse she somehow felt like the bird was _wary_ of her, as if he knew what sort of power she possessed. She forced enough focus into her system to listen as Sakura explained how the mission had gone, before handing her the reward money and asking if she could keep the bird.

Tsunade heard herself groan as she reached for the necessary paperwork. Sure, several clans had their own animals, but they were linked through chakra and family bloodlines and a plethora of other things that she _really _didn't feel like thinking about with her massive headache.

It probably didn't help that she was dealing with a hangover at the moment.

Either way, paperwork was still needed if you were going to have a pet that wasn't in some way related to your jutsu, in case something happened to it or something happened to someone _because_ of it. There was also the fact that this bird Sakura had picked up was definitely some sort of rare animal, especially considering she'd never seen anything like it before. That was bound to cause some headaches in the future.

Tsunade stopped writing as she came to a particular section of the paperwork. "What's his name?" she asked her student, who blinked in confusion before looking to the bird on her shoulder.

"Do you have a name?" Sakura asked him. The bird nodded and hopped off of her shoulder, gliding over to Tsunade's desk and snatching up a pen before looking for something to write on. He then seemed to realize that his talons and wings weren't exactly suited for writing with, and both Sakura and Tsunade could swear that he looked upset with himself.

Tsunade took the pen from the bird and put it away, before producing a blank sheet of paper and using the pen in her hand to write out the alphabet for the bird. "All right, point to the letters and I'll write them as you do." The bird nodded, and using one talon, he tapped the 'M' on the paper. Tsunade began to write.

It took about a minute to transcribe the bird's name, and another ten to finish the paperwork. Tsunade sighed as she put it away and handed Sakura her cut of the reward money.

"Congratulations, Sakura," Tsunade smirked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You are now the proud owner of Marco the Phoenix."

* * *

_And so ends our first chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and I'll see you when I get the next one up, or if you post reviews and such. Thank you for reading!_

_-Ink_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Ink's Notes:**_

_Hello again! I'd like to take a moment before we begin to address a few things. The first of those is whenabouts this story takes place. Admittedly, I haven't been keeping up with Naruto as well as I should be. Periodic checking of updates and hearing my friends freak out about spoileriffic information probably isn't my best source of information, so I don't actually have a specific time frame during the Naruto storyline this is taking place. I meant for it to be at an ambiguous point during/after Shippuden, but based on the way a lot of my friends freak out about storyline elements, I might have to do a proper re-read of the story to get a more precise time. As far as the One Piece half of things goes, it takes place either late or post time skip. I'm definitely more well-versed in that 'verse than the Naruto verse, which I really do need to fix._

_The other thing that I wanted to address was based on a review I got. While admittedly most of the problems with the Naruto half are my own fault, for the reasons I mentioned above, I did sort of intend for Sakura to be making uncharacteristic mistakes due to being upset. I'll try and have her be more in character from here on in, though. As far as Marco's size and not speaking goes... both are to help him keep a low profile. A six foot tall talking bird would draw unnecessary attention to himself. The size I figure he can change at will due to his intricate control of his Zoan abilities, and he's just choosing not to talk. That's not to say he _won't _be talking, though. I plan to have him get speaking lines later on._

_I think that should just about cover things. If you've any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!_

Chapter Two

Sakura unlocked the door to her apartment, and the weight on her shoulder she'd just started getting used to removed itself and flew in as she pushed it open. Once she'd closed and locked the door, put away her keys, and removed her shoes, she noted that her new companion had settled onto the table in her kitchen.

"Well, this is where you'll be staying from now on, Marco," Sakura smiled, though she was clearly exhausted. It was getting late and she'd just returned home from a mission. Granted, it was an easy mission, but her rage had taken a lot out of her. "Tomorrow we'll go find you some proper furniture to rest on, okay?"

"Yoi," was Marco's response. He accented it with an almost gentlemanly bow, and Sakura found herself smiling. Marco was a strange bird, but she liked his company. Maybe Kiba could help her understand what he was saying.

She found herself suppressing a yawn, and looked outside. It was dark, so there wasn't much point in going out now. Sakura supposed she might as well get an early night so she could set out early tomorrow.

Marco moved from the table to the windowsill, and then turned his head to look at his new owner. "You want to go outside?" She could swear that the bird was crossing his wings contemplatively, before he uncrossed them and wobbled one in an approximate 'so-so' euphemism. "You want to be _able_ to go outside," she corrected herself, and the bird nodded. Sakura smiled and opened the window enough so that he could get out if he wanted to, and he gave another 'Yoi' as thanks. Sakura nodded, and this time wasn't able to suppress a yawn as she covered her mouth.

"See you in the morning, Marco," she said, moving into her bedroom to get changed and get some rest.

* * *

When Marco had asked for access to outside, Sakura was worried that he might fly off and not come back. Her worries, however, vanished instantly when she emerged after her shower to find Marco asleep on the kitchen table. She smiled and closed the window, the sound waking the bird. His head lifted, and a wing went to his eyes, rubbing them as if he were still tired. Sakura found herself laughing at the almost human behavior of her companion, and wondered if he'd perhaps been a person who'd been hit by some sort of transformation jutsu.

Her smile instantly vanished when she realized that was entirely a possibility. It wouldn't be completely unheard of for someone to be the test subject for an unstable jutsu, and it would certainly explain his human mannerisms and name.

Sakura rubbed her temples. It was _far_ to early for her to be thinking like this. She needed to get some food into her system so she would be ready for the day. She made enough breakfast for two people (which Marco seemed rather happy about), and once the two had eaten he perched himself on her shoulder and they headed out to the streets of Konoha. Sakura decided that she would just walk around until either they came across Kiba and Akamaru or they found a shop that sold supplies for taking care of birds – whichever one came first.

"Yo, Sakura!"

_Kiba and Akamaru it is._

Sakura turned to face her friend and his giant dog. "Hi Kiba, hi Akamaru," she greeted with a smile.

"Yoi!" Marco greeted, lifting his wing in a wave.

Kiba grinned and began jabbing Sakura in the chest playfully. "So you got a pet, huh? Were you jealous of Akamaru and I?" Kiba took the fact that he found himself face down in the dirt with a sore skull as a 'yes'. Akamaru picked him up by the collar of his shirt, before setting him down on his feet. "What's his name?" he asked, rubbing the spot where Sakura had hit him.

"His name is Marco," Sakura said, scratching under his beak. "I was actually hoping you could direct me to a place I could buy a perch for him, and some other things to take care of him."

Kiba grinned. "Say no more! Right this way!" He began marching down the street, Akamaru trotting after him. Sakura sighed and walked after her friend.

The group chatted while they walked, about how Sakura had wound up with Marco, about Kiba's latest mission, about their mutual friends, and just generally about how their weeks went. Marco dozed off on her shoulder a few times, but a periodic bark from Akamaru brought him to his senses. Before long, the two had arrived at a store that stocked supplies for the ninja whose clans took care of animals. With Kiba's help, Sakura managed to get a perch and a few other necessities for Marco (she refused to get a cage on account of how she'd met the poor bird).

Much to her surprise, Marco carried his own perch, which made her job of carrying the other things much easier, and they returned to her apartment and set up a corner of the main room for him. Once they'd done that, Marco began pecking at the fridge door, and Sakura determined that the bird was hungry. Their shopping trip had taken all morning, so it was no wonder – Sakura herself was starting to get hungry as well.

"How about we go out to eat?" she asked, not really in the mood to prepare something for herself. Marco considered her offer a moment before nodding. "Great! Come on, let's go!" The bird moved to her shoulder again, and she found herself smiling as they left her apartment. Something about his company just made her feel at ease. It was almost like he was protecting her. But that couldn't be right – she was the shinobi, after all. Sakura figured that maybe, being an animal, Marco could pick up on things that she might not be able to notice. Heck, an aerial view might be handy for missions…

She shook the thought away. Marco was her responsibility. She wouldn't let him come on missions with her. Then again, he had helped her when she freed him… Sakura amended her previous thought to the effect of 'Marco will come with me on missions if he wants to come with me on missions'. After all, it could never hurt to have someone watching your back.

Sakura found herself smiling again once she'd sat down at the restaurant and watched Marco devour his meal. He had quite the appetite, and no table manners to go with it. As she ate, she wondered where he'd come from and whether or not he'd really once been human. One day, she figured, she'd ask him. Maybe when they got to know each other a little better. For now, though, their relationship was fine the way it was.

She let out a content sigh. Having an eccentric phoenix as a companion was certainly something she'd never expected to happen, but all things considered, she was happy for his company.

* * *

_And so ends the chapter! Not much in the way of action or anything, but establishing a few things for both Sakura and you guys to think about. I don't really intend to have this be an action-heavy story, though being shinobi means that there will be a few missions here and there to keep everyone on their toes. See you next time!_

_-Ink_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Ink's Notes: _**

_Gosh, people like my story! I'm so happy~! Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!_

Chapter Three

Sakura heard Naruto's yells from the shower and she knew it was going to be a long day. Due to the roar of the water, though, she couldn't tell what he was yelling about. She figured he was yelling in excitement about the interesting bird that was in her kitchen, so she didn't feel any need to rush, and continued showering leisurely.

It was only when she came out about fifteen minutes later that she realized Naruto had _not_ been yelling in excitement.

"Crazy bird! _Crazy bird!_"he was yelling, running around the room and scrambling over furniture as Marco soared after him, periodically swiping at the orange-clad ninja with a talon or a wing, and when the bird cornered her hyperactive friend he began pecking at his face until Naruto cried mercy.

Minutes later, Sakura couldn't help but feel proud as Marco sat on Naruto's back, pinning the blond to the ground while keeping his hands firmly planted behind his back. Sakura had no idea _how_ the bird had managed to get him into that position, but it was certainly amusing to see him sitting on top of Naruto's back, looking incredibly smug about the entire situation.

"Sakura-Chan," Naruto whined, lifting his head and resting his chin on the floor, "Why didn't you tell me you got an attack bird?"

Sakura took a break from laughing to speak. "Marco is not an attack bird," she wheezed out, before looking to her still closed front door. "How did you get in?"

"Your window was open," Naruto pouted. "I figured it was an invitation to come inside, but when I came in I think I woke him up and he started attacking me."

Sakura fought the urge to facepalm from the stupidity. "Naruto. He probably thinks you're an intruder. If you wanted to come in, you should have knocked on the front door like a _normal _person."

"But Sakura-Chan!" he whined. "I'm a shinobi, not a normal person!"

A few rapid pecks from Marco told Naruto that what he'd just said was _not_ the right answer, and the orange-clad ninja whined out an apology. Apparently satisfied, Marco removed himself from Naruto's back and glided over to the kitchen table. Sakura went to her fridge and took out some leftovers from last night, setting out some for Marco before chewing on her own. The bird happily began eating as Sakura stared down her friend and teammate, who was now sitting cross-legged on her floor and nursing the peck wounds on his face with a whimper.

"So, Naruto," Sakura began once she'd finished eating. Marco finished just after she began speaking, and was now watching Naruto with piercing eyes. "Why are you here?"

"We've got a mission," Naruto explained, shooting a glare at the bird, who outstretched his wings as if asking Naruto to try and attack him. "Kakashi and Sai sent me to get you. We better hurry, or they'll come and see what's taking me so long."

Marco perked up and looked towards the window as Sakura brought a hand to her forehead in annoyance. "Considering how often Kakashi makes _us_ wait, I think they can stand to-"

She was cut off by Marco's familiar cry of "Yoi!" as he turned to fully face the window. Both Sakura and Naruto's gazes followed the bird's. No sooner than they had turned to look, Kakashi appeared on her windowsill.

"Yo, Sakura," he greeted, lifting his hand in a lazy wave before looking at Naruto with his uncovered eye. "Naruto, what's taking so long?"

Naruto only lifted his hand to point at Marco, who Sakura could swear was _glaring_ at Kakashi. This detail was not missed by the older shinobi, whose eye narrowed as he looked at the bird. "And who's this?" he asked, hand already moving towards his kunai pouch.

"His name is Marco," Sakura explained, trying to diffuse the situation. "I freed him during my last mission and he helped me out not long after, so I brought him home with me. Marco, calm down, these guys are my friends. You don't need to try and fight them."

Marco turned to look at Sakura, and she could swear the look in his eyes was saying that he'd fight them if she wanted him to, before he nodded and settled down.

Kakashi hopped into her apartment, and Sakura quickly decided to close and lock the window before all of Konoha decided to come in. Once she'd taken care of that, she sighed and turned to her teammates. Kakashi was examining the wounds on Naruto's face, and Naruto was pouting with his arms crossed, saying he wouldn't drop his guard around the bird again.

"Kakashi. Naruto said we had a mission?" Sakura asked, cutting into their conversation. The two turned to her and nodded.

"That's right. We're to go and protect a village a few days from here. They're being threatened by some missing-nin," Kakashi explained as he passed her the mission dossier. Sakura flipped through it and nodded, passing it back to him. "We'll leave as soon as you're ready." She nodded again and gathered her supplies, heading for the door.

"Yoi!" Marco exclaimed, his tone almost offended. Sakura turned to him in confusion, just in time to see him flying over before he perched on her shoulder and folded his wings across his chest. "Yoi."

"It would seem that Marco wants to come with us," Kakashi said, and Sakura could swear that he sounded amused. "Do you think he can take care of himself?"

Naruto frowned. "I don't think that attack bird needs any protection," he muttered, only to find himself being pecked in the face by Marco again. "ACK- I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Sakura-Chan, call him off!"

Sakura smirked as she opened the door, and Kakashi walked out ahead of them. "Sorry, Naruto, but you brought this upon yourself." Marco seemed to take this as approval of his actions, and upped the ante by scratching at Naruto with his talons. Eventually, Naruto managed to fend him off with a kunai and the phoenix returned to his perch on Sakura's shoulder.

"Sakura-Chan, I think your bird hates me," he pouted as he walked out of the apartment.

"Your own fault for being mean to him," she responded, closing and locking the door after them.

* * *

_That brings this chapter to a close! I hope I got everyone's personality right here. Thanks for reading, and thanks for all the kind reviews~!_

_-Ink_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Ink's Notes:_**

_Hello everyone! I think it's about time we get another chapter up. I'm going to go ahead and warn you now, there are a few original characters that are going to start appearing. Mostly as enemies, but I know some people aren't terribly fond of OCs, so I figured I would just warn you all from now. Anyway, on with the story!_

Chapter Four

Three days.

That was how long Kakashi said it would take them to reach the village they would be protecting.

Three days of putting up with Naruto's hyperactivity, Kakashi constantly reading that book of his, and Sai's blunt and rude comments.

Three days of putting up with these _idiots_.

_Someone kill me now, _Sakura mentally groaned as Naruto began boasting to Sai and Kakashi about some new technique he'd apparently started developing. She blinked when she felt something pat her head, and looked to the bird on her shoulder. He was patting her head with his wing in a comforting manner, and the look on his face said that he knew exactly what she was thinking. Sakura sighed and wondered if he really did, before smiling a thank-you at him.

Kakashi looked up at the darkening sky. "All right, guys, let's set up camp here," he said, lifting his hand to bring the group to a stop. Before long, the group had set up a camp, and they were sitting around a fire. About midway through setup, Marco had flown off somewhere, and Sakura was starting to worry about him.

"Yoi!" he called from the bushes behind them. Sakura turned to the sound, then got up to check on the bird, before letting out a yelp and tumbling backwards onto her butt at the scene she saw behind the bushes.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto called, getting up and running to her side. "What's wrong?" Sakura could do nothing but sputter and point to the bushes where Marco was, and Naruto, confused, went to investigate. He stood there in silence for a moment, before turning to look at the rest of his team, blatant shock written all over his face.

"I don't think I want to pick a fight with Marco anymore," he whimpered.

At his words, Kakashi and Sai got up and moved over to where Naruto was standing. They looked into the area behind the bushes that the bird in question was, and saw him sitting on top of a large boar that appeared to have been clawed, pecked and beaten to death, then dragged from some point in the forest around them to its current location if the drag marks and trail of blood on the ground were any indication.

"Yoi," Kakashi could swear that Marco was _grinning_ as he wiped his talons on the boar. He moved over to pick it up, and Marco fluttered off and landed on Sakura's shoulder just as she regained her senses. He seemed rather proud of himself.

"…Marco, did you kill that boar?" Sakura asked, still having trouble believing what she was seeing. The bird nodded in confirmation as Kakashi brought it over to the fire and produced a kunai. Sakura turned to him. "Kakashi, what are you doing?"

"Your bird is rather smart," Kakashi explained. "He killed it in such a way that we would be able to eat it, so I'm getting it ready for us to do just that.

Sakura felt her jaw drop as she turned to her bird again. The bird flew off of her shoulder and landed by Kakashi, watching him carefully. _Marco knows how to hunt?_ she thought in awe, staring at him. Marco seemed to notice her watching him, as he turned and lifted a wing to wave at her. She cautiously waved back as Naruto and Sai sat down next to each other, across from Kakashi. Sai took out a sketchbook and began sketching Marco, while Naruto grumbled something or other about not liking the bird.

Sakura rubbed her temples as she sat down on the opposite side of the boar from Kakashi. What kind of a bird knew how to hunt _boars_? Her thoughts drifted to her earlier suspicions that Marco had once been human, and she found herself wondering if maybe he'd been a shinobi before becoming a bird. But if he were a shinobi, what kind of person had been able to cast a jutsu on him to turn him into a bird? She was getting a headache from thinking about it, and pushed the thoughts aside for now. It wouldn't do her much good to think about it right now- she had to focus on the mission.

The group ate in relative silence, before setting up some wards and turning in for the night. They had another two days of travel ahead of them, so they'd need to get some rest.

* * *

Sakura was woken up the next morning by Naruto, who was yelling about something. She muttered, grumbled, rubbed her eyes and sat up, rubbing her head and opened her eyes, squinting as she scanned the area to see what he was yelling about.

And then her jaw metaphorically hit the floor, as did Sai's and Kakashi's, who'd also been woken up by the loudmouthed ninja.

There, before them and just after the now broken wards, was a man, beaten bloody and unconscious, hands pinned to his back by Marco, who was sitting there looking rather smug. The man in question had messy, brown hair and was dressed in mostly dark colors, and had some sort of forehead protector, but Sakura couldn't see the symbol on account of his face being in the dirt.

Sakura heard Sai rummaging through his things, and looked over just as he produced his bingo book. It wasn't long before he stopped on a certain page and asked Naruto to turn the man's head so he could see his face. A grumbling Naruto complied, and Sai's neutral expression contorted into a frown.

"This man is a B-Ranked missing-nin," Sai said, and all three of his companions stared at him in disbelief, before turning to Marco, who was looking decidedly smugger than before. Indeed, on the unconscious ninja's forehead protector, the symbol for Iwa had been crossed out by a slash mark.

"Marco," Sakura began, her voice shaking. "Did you take out this ninja?"

"Yoi," Marco nodded, and she could swear he was smiling. At this point, Kakashi, Naruto and Sai had begun restraining him properly, and before long he was tied up by three different kinds of rope, with extra care to keeping his hands in a position that he couldn't cast jutsu in. Sakura healed his injuries, but not fully – they wanted him awake, not able to fight back.

At that point, the man began to stir. Naruto turned to look at Sai. "Say, Sai. What does the bingo book say about him?"

Sai looked down at the book in his hand. "His name is Tama Jari. He's originally from Iwagakure. Apparently, he specializes in earth jutsu," he read off, and Sakura looked to Marco, who had settled onto her shoulder again. How had he managed to subdue the missing-nin? She supposed she'd get her answers from the man himself.

The missing-nin, Tama, had woken up at this point. He was alert, taking in his surroundings to determine his current location.

"Excuse me," Sakura cut into his thoughts, and he slowly turned to look at her. "We'd like to ask you a few questions. If you… could… cooperate…" she slowly stopped talking as she saw his previously hardened and alert expression melt into one of pure fear.

"I-I'll cooperate! Just- just keep that- that _monster_ away from me!" he yelped, attempting to scoot backwards, away from Sakura.

"Hey! How dare you call Sakura-Chan a monster!" Naruto yelled, moving to punch the missing-nin.

"Not- not her!" Tama snapped at Naruto, who halted his assault as his expression changed from one of rage to bewilderment. "The bird! That- That _thing _is a monster!"

One punch to the head courtesy of Sakura later, the group was questioning him, with Marco watching from a distance up in a tree so the ninja would calm down.

Sakura was first up to ask a question. "Why did you try to attack us?"

"My group heard that some ninja from Konoha were on their way over to protect the village," Tama explained. He felt a chill run down his spine, and turned to where Marco was perched. The bird was glaring at him, and he quickly continued his explanation. "The village you guys are going to- my group is antagonizing it for resources- they don't have much in the way of defenses, so we thought-" He sputtered uselessly for a few moments before Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Tell us about your group," he ordered. Tama glanced at Marco, who was still glaring at him, and nodded as he swallowed his spit in a gulp.

"We don't tell each other our names for this exact reason-" he used his head to motion to his restraints- "But we have an idea of the kinds of jutsu the others can use. There's five of us, myself included, each who specializes in a different element of chakra," Tama quickly explained.

"So we can rule out running into any other users of earth jutsu," Naruto nodded contemplatively. Sakura nodded in agreement.

"The idea was to be balanced enough to take out any opponent we came across," Tama explained. "If we ran into someone specializing in water jutsu, I would step up to take care of him or her, and so on." Another glance at the glaring bird. "We were planning on building our strength, maybe increasing our numbers, until we were strong enough to take on a hidden village, most likely a small one."

"Why would you want to take on a hidden village?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms with a frown.

"It would have been a sort of suicide run," Tama admitted, looking at the ground. "We didn't have a place to go. If we succeeded in taking over, we'd have a new home and a place to stay. If not, we'd likely be killed in combat and could rest in peace."

Sakura and Naruto somehow felt sorry for this missing-nin. Sai, with his neutral expression, and Kakashi, with his mask, were hard to get a reading off of, but Sakura somehow felt like they could also understand.

"So… you just wanted a home?" Sakura asked, and he responded with a nod. "Then… why did you leave your villages in the first place?"

Tama shook his head. "We each had different reasons, I suppose. Myself, I didn't agree with the way Iwa ran things. Our leader left to pursue a missing-nin who killed his family, and was so blinded by his quest for revenge that he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone in his path. Before he knew it, he was a missing-nin himself."

Sakura winced, and out of the corner of her eye she saw that Marco somehow looked unbelievably pissed off. She wondered why, only for her thoughts to be derailed as she came to the sudden realization that they now had a problem.

"Guys," she spoke up, drawing all five gazes to her. "What do we _do_ with him?"

* * *

_And so ends our fourth chapter! I hope you enjoy it. I'm actually kind of liking writing for this Tama dude. Poor guy is terrified of Marco, I kinda feel bad for him. Well, see you next time!_

_-Ink_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Ink's Notes:**_

_Hello everyone! Thank you very much for the kind reviews~! I won't say anything else since quite a bit happens in this chapter, so let's just get right into it!_

Chapter Five

Two days later, as the sun was setting, the unlikely group arrived at the village they were to be protecting. Naruto was at the front, already charging ahead to find a place for them to spend the night, followed by Sai, who said he was going to report to the village's mayor that they had arrived.

This left Kakashi, Sakura and Marco at the entrance of the village, with one additional person standing between them.

Tama adjusted his feet, looking around the village that, up until about two days ago, he'd been targeting with his group. _If he could even still call them that._ They'd likely begun considering him a traitor when he hadn't showed up to the meeting they were supposed to have this morning. He muttered under his breath, thinking back to how he'd gotten himself into this situation.

**_Two Days Earlier_**

_"Guys," the pink-haired woman, who the blond kid had called 'Sakura', spoke up, catching his and the others' attention, "What do we do with him?"_

_"Good point," the silver-haired man pointed out, bringing a hand to his mouth, which was covered by a mask. "He cooperated with us, so killing him would be stupid at this point."_

___Tama was internally relieved. He was glad they weren't going to kill him, at least. Before this, he hadn't known fear. He was strong, and most opponents he could either dispatch easily or give a run for their money. He'd had no reason to think that anyone could defeat him without at least being battered and bruised too much to take him in._

_That was, until today. He found himself looking at that weird bird for what must have been the twentieth time since he'd woken up. The bird was quietly watching him, though Tama could swear that he seemed angry about something._

_Tama was still having trouble believing what had happened. One minute, he'd been getting rid of the wards that the ninja had set up – they were good work, but he knew how wards worked and could take care of them pretty easily – when the bird had suddenly attacked him. Everything from that point in had been a blur. He'd shot a few earth jutsu at the bird, but the bird had just shrugged them off as they'd gone **through**_ _him, before launching counterattacks. Tama barely had time to react as he was hit with what felt like a wing reinforced by steel, though how that was possible he had no idea. He'd just been recovering from the blow when he caught sight of the bird's wing._

_No, at that point in time, it hadn't been a wing. He was sure he was imagining it, but it was like the bird's wing had turned into a human arm. Then a very human fist had hit him square in the face, and the force of the impact had momentarily blinded him. The next thing he knew, it felt like he was being pummeled by a very human opponent, and a well-placed blow to the head had knocked him unconscious._

_He had woken up to three layers of three different kinds of rope and the four shinobi he'd been planning on attacking standing before him, and that bird…_

_Tama felt that he'd had every right to freak out at that moment in time._

_He brought his attention back to the shinobi's conversation when he realized they were talking about him, trying to figure out what to do with him. The silver-haired one seemed to want to take him to Konoha, while the black-haired man said that they should call ANBU and have them take him back. The blond argued that ANBU would just kill him and they couldn't trust them to take care of him, and the one he was pretty sure was named Sakura was arguing that they should bring him with, since he might still have information and Marco could keep him in line._

_Marco? Was that the bird's name? He glanced at the bird in question, who had just left his perch in the trees in favor of Sakura's shoulder._

_Tama cleared his throat to bring their attention to him. "I'll- go with you," he nervously spoke. "Once- Once your mission's done, you can decide what to do. Say I was captured during battle, or something," he frowned. "Certainly can't go back to my group after having been beaten by a bird, no matter how much of a monster he is."_

_Sakura slammed her fist into his head, and he fought the urge to yelp in pain. "Marco is **not** a monster!" she snapped at him. Well, he supposed that answered the question about whether or not Marco was the bird's name. He whined quietly as Sakura turned back to the group. "Well, that settles it. He'll come with us. We'll keep his hands tied so he can't use jutsu, but as long as he cooperates, we can take the rest of the ropes off." She turned to him, and her features almost became demonic. "You **will** cooperate, won't you?"_

___Tama quickly nodded. As the blond removed the ropes keeping his body restrained, he wondered what sort of a demon this woman had to be to keep control over a monstrous bird like Marco._

_The silver-haired one helped Tama to his feet, and then positioned him between himself and Sakura. "Well, let's get going," he said, his tone a rather lazy one. "We still have two days of walking ahead of us."_

_He heard Sakura groan, and he almost sympathized with her. Two days of walking with these people didn't seem like it'd be the most enjoyable experience in his life._

**_Present Day_**

"Yoi."

The sound brought Tama to attention, and he looked over at Sakura and the bird. Sakura had already slipped into a loose battle stance and was looking around, and Marco was scanning the area, lifting his wings so he could fly off of his perch at any given moment.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked, his eye narrowing as he glanced around and his hand hovered over his kunai pouch.

"It's just- I've noticed that just before someone shows up, Marco tenses up and says 'Yoi'," Sakura explained, glancing at the bird that was still on high alert. "I think it might be an animal thing, but maybe he can sense danger and is trying to warn me."

Kakashi nodded, and was debating going to look for anything that might be threatening to them when Marco slowly calmed down, Sakura relaxing shortly afterwards.

"Whatever it was is gone now, huh?" Kakashi asked, and Marco nodded in response. He gently pushed Tama forwards. "Come on, let's go catch up to Naruto before he puts us all in the same room."

Sakura shuddered at the thought, before taking one last look around and hurrying after Kakashi and Tama.

* * *

Sakura found herself sharing a room with Marco while the boys were all sharing a room with Tama. She wondered how they'd fit and how Tama would sleep while restrained, but she supposed it wasn't her problem anymore. With a sigh, she took a seat at a table in the small room, placing the dinner she'd gotten for herself and Marco in front of her. The bird in question happily flew over from his perch by the window, eager for some food. As Sakura set aside his part of the meal, which he began munching away on, she found herself wondering about him. She really didn't know much about Marco at all – she only knew his name, species, and that he somehow knew how to fight and hunt. Sakura sighed, eating her own food, and aside from the sounds of Marco's lack of table manners, they ate in silence.

Once the two had finished their meal, Sakura decided to change into something more comfortable to sleep in. As she changed, she noticed that Marco had turned his head away and lifted his wing to block his view of her. She smirked in amusement, before finishing up and looking at the bird. "Marco, I'm done," she smiled, and the bird cautiously lowered his wing, confirming that she was indeed decent before relaxing his posture.

Sakura sat down on the bed with a sigh. She stared at the phoenix perched on the chair in front of her, who was staring right back. They locked eyes for a moment before Sakura decided to speak.

"How did you get captured by those traders?" she asked.

Marco thought for a moment, then outstretched his wings and flapped them up and down. "You were flying…" Sakura determined, and Marco nodded, before clapping his wings together in front of himself, attempting to mimic a hand sign. "Someone used a jutsu…" He nodded again, then jumped off of the chair and landed on the ground. "Which brought you to the ground, where they captured you?" Marco nodded again, before flying back onto his chair-perch. Sakura thought back to how Marco pinned people to the ground and added, "Is that why you always pin peoples' hands behind their backs?"

"Yoi," the phoenix responded with a nod. It made sense, Sakura thought. If he'd been captured by a jutsu, he'd want to make sure people couldn't use them on him when he had them pinned. Then again, that was a very human way of thinking…

"Marco… what exactly are you?" she asked, all of her previous thoughts about him possibly being human rushing back at once.

Marco tilted his head to the side. "Yoi?" he asked, and Sakura figured that he didn't really understand what she was asking him. She decided to elaborate.

"I mean… you behave a lot like a human sometimes," she explained, "Just… little things, like your mannerisms, and the way you act sometimes, and your fighting skill…" She could swear Marco was frowning. "I've been thinking, with your skill, maybe you were a shinobi that got hit by a jutsu that turned you into a bird…"

Sakura bit her lip as she watched Marco look down. Judging by his reaction, she was right, but she wanted to hear it from him.

"Yoi," the bird nodded sadly.

Everything fell into place. Marco had been a shinobi, likely on some kind of mission, when he'd been hit by a jutsu – likely a forbidden one – that turned him into what he was now. It had likely taken him a while to adjust to his new body, and he'd probably been flying around looking for a way home when he was captured and had realized that any family he had likely wouldn't recognize him. It was likely that he was _still_ adjusting, given his still human mannerisms – that, or he was trying to keep them in hopes that it might turn him back somehow.

"Marco…" The bird looked up, only to find himself being hugged by Sakura. "It's okay. Even if I can't turn you back… I'm still your friend. I'll help you get through this."

Marco seemed shocked, before slowly wrapping his wings around her. They remained this way for a few minutes, before Sakura let go with a smile. "Heck, maybe I can help you learn to speak again," she grinned, to which Marco seemed to smile in response.

"Yoi!" he exclaimed, bringing his wing to his forehead in a mock-salute.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. Her new pet might have been a human-turned-bird, but he was still her friend. But… maybe she should keep him being human a secret. Who knows what the rest of Konoha would do if they found out?

* * *

_And so brings Chapter Five to a close. Tama's stuck with the group, Sakura knows Marco's human, and sure enough he will begin talking soon enough. Where will things go from here? Well, I guess we'll find out together, won't we?_

_-Ink_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Ink's Notes: **_

_Hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the delay, I've been a tad sick, but I'll try not to let it keep me from making updates! I think I might as well respond to a few reviews, so here we go..._

**_Krazyfanfiction1: _**_I feel like breathing fire and whatnot should be limited to the Mera Mera no Mi, so I probably won't have Marco shooting fireballs and whatnot. Although, the "becoming bigger for transportation" is an interesting idea. Maybe I'll find a way to work it in...~_

**_6Lisa9:_**_ Thank you! I'm glad to know I have your interest~ And yes, his 'instinct' is in fact Haki! It's just, no one really knows what Haki is, so they're making assumptions._

**_xlunatica:_**_ I admittedly hadn't thought of that. Either Marco was careful to hit him in places it wouldn't be immediately evident, or when Sakura gave him a minor healing, it might have fixed him up enough so that they wouldn't notice. I get the feeling at least one of them knows more than he's letting on, though._

_I think that takes care of that. Thank you for all the kind reviews, and on to the next chapter!_

Chapter Six

"Say, Kakashi?" Sakura began, catching the copy-ninja's attention. "Do you think Pakkun and the other dogs would be able to help Marco learn to speak?"

Their little group stood on the outskirts of the village. Sai was closest to the entrance, keeping an eye on Tama, who had agreed to warn them if one or more members of his group showed up. Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura and Marco were all close enough that they could get there in a few seconds if needs be, but far enough that Marco wasn't freaking Tama out.

Kakashi turned his attention to Sakura and the bird that had made himself comfortable on her shoulder. For a moment, there was silence, but Kakashi was saved from having to break it by Naruto, who did the job for him.

"Hey, Sakura-Chan, why do you wanna teach Marco how to speak?" he asked, crossing his arms as he stared at the bird. Marco returned the favor, looking entirely too smug for Naruto's liking. He muttered something about not wanting to hear what insults the bird could throw his way, and Sakura gently slapped him upside the head.

"_Because_, Naruto, Marco already understands us, and if we could understand _him_ then he could be a great help on missions," Sakura explained. "He's able to hunt, can scout out enemy camps from the sky, and is highly sensitive to-"

"Yoi!" Marco suddenly perked up, turning towards the entrance to the village.

"-Danger," Sakura finished, sliding into a loose stance as a group of three approached the village. She paused when she realized that Marco had stopped looking at them, and had closed his eyes. Naruto and Kakashi had already gone over to where Sai and Tama were, as Tama seemed to be saying something to them while Sai was flipping through his bingo book.

"Yoi," Marco spoke, in a hushed tone, so only Sakura could hear. She looked to him, and he gently pointed his wing towards the inside of the village. The unspoken message was delivered, and Sakura made sure that the others were occupied before dashing off in the direction Marco had pointed.

* * *

Sai, Naruto and Kakashi found themselves facing off against three missing-nin who seemed to know Tama. There was one man and two women, each looking ready for a fight. The man had pale yellow hair and was dressed in various blues, the first woman had black hair and was dressed in various reds, and the second woman had brown hair and was dressed in various greens. Each of them wore a forehead protector with a crossed out symbol on it, each one from a different village.

Naturo glanced at Tama. "Say, Tama, these guys from your group?" he asked.

"Former group," the black haired woman responded, reaching for an axe that was on her back. "We suspected his betrayal when he didn't show this morning, but the fact that he's here with you secures it."

Tama frowned, fidgeting with the ropes keeping his hands tied. He looked to the ground, feeling somehow rejected.

"Ah, here we are," Sai spoke up, having flipped to a certain page in his bingo book, and marked two others with his fingers. "The man's name is Rai Dendo. He specializes in lightning jutsu." He flipped to one of the other pages as the man now identified as Rai smirked. "The black haired woman is Moya Netsu. She specializes in fire jutsu." He flipped to the last page he'd marked as Moya gripped the handle of her axe. "The brown haired woman is Mizumi Hitaru. She specializes in water jutsu." As Sai put away the book, Mizumi grinned and cracked her knuckles.

"I see our reputation precedes us," Mizumi sneered, sliding into a battle stance. "You guys must be the Konoha shinobi who're protecting this village."

Sai, Naruto and Kakashi each slid into their own stance in response. Rai followed suit, but Moya didn't draw her axe yet.

"Say," she frowned. "I thought there were four of you plus one bird." Tama shuddered at the mention of the animal, and Moya cast a wayward glance at him, but didn't press the matter. "Where's your fourth member and her pet?"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked. "Sakura-Chan's right-" He turned as he pointed to the space that Sakura and Marco had once occupied. "Eh? Where'd they go?" he frowned, before looking over to the missing-nin they were facing off against. "You didn't do something to her, did you?"

Moya frowned and turned to her allies. "Say, you don't think it's possible that…" She was interrupted by Rai waving her off.

"Bah, impossible," he grinned. "Don't underestimate our leader's abilities." Moya looked worried for a moment, before finally drawing her axe and holding it in front of herself. "All right, kiddies," Rai grinned, practically sparking in excitement. "Here's how it'll go down. We're gonna trash you, take care of the traitor," Tama flinched at his new title, "Then meet up with our leader and wreak havoc. Sound good?"

"Not particularly," Sai deadpanned as he readied a paintbrush and sketchbook.

Naruto frowned as he and Kakashi readied themselves for battle. "I hope Sakura-Chan's okay," he muttered.

* * *

"Yoi!" Marco called as he flew ahead of Sakura, leading her down the streets. Sakura didn't know how he was doing it, but he was somehow avoiding crowds of people and leading her through alleyways so they wouldn't be delayed.

"Are you sure about this, Marco?!" she yelled up to him, and he nodded before continuing along their path. Sakura had figured out some time ago that he was leading her towards the mayor's office. It made sense, she reasoned. Tama had said that his group had _four_ members, not including Tama himself, and only _three_ of them had been at the gate. That left one member unaccounted for, and if them appearing at the gate was just a distraction…

Sakura grimaced. If the fourth member really _were_ targeting the mayor, his or her success would mean that the town would be thrown into chaos. That would let the group of missing-nin do whatever they wanted, take whatever resources they needed… and who knows how many innocent people would be hurt.

She clenched her fists as Marco led her into the space in front of the mayor's office before flying down and landing on her shoulder. "Is he already inside?" she asked the phoenix, and after a moment's contemplation, he shook his head. "Then-"

"Oh, dear. And here I thought you'd all be at the gate."

Sakura spun to face the owner of the voice, bringing her fists up, while Marco jumped off of her shoulder and hovered in the air next to her. They found themselves facing off against a man with spiky blue hair, dressed in black pants, a gray shirt, and a white vest. He was calmly resting one of his gloved hands on a katana that was slung through a belt on his left side, and he was flexing his other hand at his side. The man only smiled at the cold reception, looking from Sakura to Marco and back to Sakura.

"Konoha shinobi," he greeted, nodding to Sakura. "Pet bird." He nodded to Marco. "I trust my earth specialist has been treated well while in your care?"

"So you're the leader," Sakura responded, to which the man replied with a smug grin. Sakura frowned. Trust her luck to land her with facing off against the group's leader.

"That's right. Kyo Tabin, at your service." The grin didn't leave his face as he bowed a little too deeply and too dramatically. As he straightened himself out, he gently tilted his head, eyes never looking away from Sakura and Marco. "Now that I've given you my name, why don't you give me yours? It's only polite," he pointed out.

Sakura frowned, not seeing much harm in it. "Sakura Haruno," she responded. "This is Marco." She gently tilted her head to indicate the bird in question. "I assume you're a B-Rank missing-nin like Tama?"

"Yoi," Marco frowned, shaking his head. Sakura blinked, looking at the still grinning shinobi before her. Marco didn't seem to think he was a B-Rank… then again, how would he know? Maybe he was from the same village? But if he wasn't a B-Rank, and he was the leader of the group, then that would mean…

Sakura paled. "A-Rank?" she asked. A grin from Ryo was her only response. Sakura steeled her courage and tightened her stance.

"You know, there's really no point in us fighting in the middle of the street," Ryo frowned, and Sakura blinked, confused. "From what my wind clones told me, you'll likely worry yourself with keeping bystanders safe, and now that you know what I'm after I have no reason to hang around until I've taken care of you, since you'll just try to stop me from attacking the mayor otherwise…"

"Wind clones?" Sakura asked.

"Ah, yes. I had some wind clones following you when you arrived, but your bird seemed to notice them, so they stopped. Best not to blow my cover, right?"

Sakura took a moment to process this, and then grimaced. "So what are you saying?" she asked, preparing herself for a surprise attack.

"I'm saying we should move to a more open area," Ryo answered, turning away from her. "Follow me."

He moved briskly away, and Sakura hesitated for a moment. What if this was a trap? When Marco began gliding after Ryo, she paused. Even if it _were_ a trap, she couldn't just let this guy do as he wanted. If she didn't follow, she had no guarantee that he wouldn't start attacking bystanders to lure her out. So Sakura balled her fists and began walking after him, picking up her pace so as to not let him out of her sight.

* * *

_And so ends Chapter Six! ...Yes, I did use Google Translate for the missing-nin's names. I'm admittedly rather nervous about the next chapter, since I don't have much confidence in my ability to write fight scenes, but I might as well give it all that I've got!_

_I also won't be showing Naruto, Sai and Kakashi versus Rai, Mizumi and Moya. Sorry to disappoint, but the story is about Marco and Sakura, so I'll be focusing on Marco and Sakura versus Ryo instead._

_Well, I'll see you next time! Thank you for all the kind reviews~!_

_-Ink_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Ink's Notes: **_

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I am so sorry this took so long to get out! I was nervous about working on this chapter, plus I got really sick and had to spend quite a bit of time recovering, I'm so sorry for the delay! I hope this chapter makes up for it!_

Chapter Seven

Sakura took a look around at their new surroundings. Ryo had led them to a small clearing about a mile away from the village. She idly wondered if the boys were all right, before reminding herself that they could handle themselves and they weren't the ones who were currently facing off against an A-Rank missing-nin. Marco had perched on her shoulder again, and it was helping her relax, but not by much – She'd fought S-Rank missing-nin in the form of Akatsuki before, but she'd had allies, a rough idea of their abilities, and even still it was a tough battle. And here she was, facing off against an A-Rank missing-nin with nothing more than backup in the form of her pet bird.

"Yoi," Marco said, lifting off of her shoulder and flying in midair in front of her. He glanced over his shoulder at her, then motioned with his head in the direction of the village.

"…Are… you telling me to run?" Sakura asked, mostly out of disbelief. He nodded, and she frowned. "Are you crazy?! You may have been able to beat Tama, but a B-Rank isn't even remotely in the same strength area as an A-Rank!" Marco flinched as Sakura began to scold him. "I don't know how you beat Tama in the first place, but I am _not_ leaving you alone here to fight some shinobi that we know nothing about! We don't know his strengths, his weaknesses, or even have a remote inkling of an idea as to how to fight this guy! We'll stand a better chance of fighting him together, not one on one, and even _if _it were to be one on one, I would be the one fighting him, not you!"

Marco recoiled slightly, then seemed to give up and repositioned himself next to her.

"My, so your bird really _was_ the one who beat my earth specialist?" Ryo asked, hand never leaving his sword. "And here I thought that was just a running joke you and your friends were making. He must be some bird to be able to fight a B-Rank missing-nin."

Sakura tensed, bringing her fists up. Marco's eyes narrowed. Ryo gripped the hilt of his sword.

It happened in an instant. Ryo drew his sword, only for it to be intercepted by Marco, who'd shot forward and caught the blade in his talons, keeping him from making his intended action of swinging it in a horizontal arc. Seeing this as her cue, Sakura charged forward, tightening her fist and slamming it into the ground when she was about ten feet away from Ryo. The ground cracked and broke into jagged stones that shot up in a path towards Ryo, and he was forced to abandon his attack as he jumped backwards, Marco releasing his blade as he did so. Sakura grabbed one of the jagged stones that had been brought up by her attack, before lobbing it at Ryo, Marco trailing close behind it. Ryo channeled his chakra around his blade and swung it through the stone, slicing it cleanly in two, but was unprepared for the bird that slammed his wing into his face.

Ryo tumbled backwards, holding his face with his free hand. "The hell…?" he muttered, removing his hand to reveal blood on his face. "That felt like steel…"

Marco didn't let him recover, charging forwards again. Sakura followed his example, but while Marco kept Ryo occupied, parrying sword slashes with his talons, she moved around behind him. Sakura focused her chakra and created a clone, and the clone slammed its fist into the ground, cracking it in a similar way that she'd done before, then dispelled itself. While Ryo lost his balance, Marco attacked from the front while Sakura attacked from behind, effectively sandwiching him.

Ryo stumbled from the force of the blow, before quickly going through a few hand signs. Marco and Sakura were both knocked backwards by a sudden torrent of wind spiraling around him, the wind creating multiple light gashes on Sakura's body and slicing holes in Marco's flames. Sakura shook herself out while Marco seemed to be regenerating, both taking a moment to reorient themselves from the attack, while Ryo took that same moment to compose himself. He gripped his sword, and Sakura saw chakra flow around it before he swung it through the air, releasing an arc of wind at Marco. Marco flew upwards to avoid the attack, before dive-bombing towards Ryo, his height giving him extra speed for a stronger impact. Ryo held his blade ready for the bird, but Sakura shot forwards, grabbing his wrists and pinning his hands behind his back. Ryo struggled against her grip, but she reinforced it with chakra, keeping his hands firmly in place. As she tightened her grip, she heard the telltale sound of bones cracking and Ryo was forced to drop his sword. Sakura kicked it away as Marco got closer, and the bird brought his wings in front of himself. She could have sworn they turned black just before he made contact, but she was forced to disregard that piece of information as she released Ryo's hands and jumped back while Marco slammed both wings into his face. Ryo yelled out in pain, using his now free hands to grip his bleeding face, wincing from his broken wrists.

"What kind of a jutsu is that?!" he roared, squinting through his fingers at the smug bird hovering before him. "Why is a _bird_ able to use jutsu?!" His rage and pain made him oblivious to Sakura making hand signs behind him, and by the time he realized he had two opponents and turned to face her, she had finished them. To Ryo, the environment began to change. Noon became sunset, trees burst from the ground and began wrapping around him, and everything became colder.

Now, Ryo wasn't an idiot. He knew a genjutsu when he saw one. He began to channel his chakra to release himself from it.

But didn't get any further as Sakura and Marco simultaneously pounded his face in as hard as they could, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Sakura had just finished securing Ryo when Naruto, Sai, Kakashi and Tama arrived carrying the other three missing-nin, whose current condition matched Ryo's – battered, beaten and bruised.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto called, charging over to her. "Are you all right? These guys let it slip that their leader was an A-Rank, and – what happened to you?! He didn't get you too badly, did he?!" Naruto began freaking out about her current condition, and she gently pushed him away, then began healing her own injuries. She glanced at Marco, taking a minute to comprehend that he seemed to be able to effectively restore himself _(but then again, he was a phoenix, so she shouldn't be surprised...)_, before looking back to her team.

"I'm fine, Naruto," she smiled. "He actually didn't do that much damage. Marco and I were able to dispatch him with relative ease."

Naruto pouted, crossing his arms and glaring at Marco, who just smirked at him before perching on Sakura's shoulder. Kakashi and Sai secured the four ninja together, before Kakashi summoned his dogs and told them to go and get the proper law enforcement from the town.

"Some bird, huh?" Sai asked, looking over at Marco. "Helping you take down an A-Ranked missing-nin." Marco puffed his chest out, as if he were proud of himself. "Are you sure you can take care of him, Ugly?" In an instant, Sai found himself fending off Marco, with Naruto laughing something along the lines of it not being him for once. By the time the group managed to get Marco to stop, the proper law enforcement had arrived and taken the four missing-nin into custody. When she asked, Sai informed Sakura that Tama would be returning to Konoha with them, and they would talk to Tsunade about getting him some work there as a thanks for his help and cooperation.

"Maa, we'll start heading back to Konoha tomorrow," Kakashi spoke up, cleaning out his ear with a finger. "Let's get some rest for now."

A few murmurs of agreement, and the group was heading back to the village to rest for their trek back home.

* * *

_Yes, Tama will be showing up in future chapters. I love the little dork too much to just stop using him. Maybe once I have more free time I'll make some sort of story for him? It might be fun, but we'll see._

_Sorry if the fight wasn't really that great. I should probably work on my fight scenes, but then again I also don't really want the focus of this fic to be combat (since Marco's rather powerful and would probably just sweep through any antagonists they face)._

_Well, thank you for reading, and again, sorry for the delay. See you next time, and hopefully it won't take as long~!_

_-Ink_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Ink's Notes:**_

_Hello everyone! We have a bit of a shorter chapter today, so I was able to get it to you a little faster than I normally am... maybe I'll be able to keep up this pace? That would be nice!_

_This week's chapter is a few short drabbles about Sakura's friends reacting to Marco, but rest assured there are bits and pieces that will be important in the future. Never discount any details you read, that's something I've learned!_

_Anyway, on with the chapter!_

Chapter Eight

About a week after they had returned to Konoha, Sakura was out on a leisurely walk with Marco gliding overhead, observing the city streets from above. She'd been teaching him how to speak, and much to her delight his progress was actually rather fast. It seemed he still remembered how, he just needed help with pronouncing words through a beak instead of a mouth.

"Yoi!" Marco called from above. "Bushy brows large and small spotted, one o'clock!" Sakura flinched internally. 'Bushy brows' was Marco's shared nickname for Guy and Lee, and 'large' or 'small' indicated which of the two he was talking about.

Three days after they got back, word had already spread around her circle of friends and their team leaders about how she and Marco had defeated an A-Rank missing-nin with relative ease. She had been all but ambushed by Guy and Lee, asking if they could borrow Marco for a training exercise. Marco, not seeing the harm in it, had agreed to give them a metaphorical hand.

He had come back at the end of the day looking exhausted and exasperated, and had sworn off of all contact with them for the next few days.

Sakura was about to change their course when the two shinobi in question noticed and approached her. She heard Marco sigh overhead before he flew down and landed on her shoulder.

"Yosh! Good morning, Sakura-San!" Lee greeted, grinning brightly while giving a thumbs up.

"And good morning to you too, Marco!" Guy added, posing in the same way.

"G-Good morning," Sakura greeted, doing her best not to show how awkward this was for her.

"Hello," Marco followed suit, lifting a wing in a gentle wave.

"I see that Marco's speech lessons are coming along well!" Lee grinned. "Would he like to join us for another training session?"

Sakura turned to the bird on her shoulder, who was giving his best subtle pantomime of 'please no I will do anything just get us out of here'. She awkwardly looked back at the matching student and teacher. "Um… Marco and I have somewhere to be in a few minutes," Sakura quickly lied. She hoped the excuse was good enough to get them out of this situation.

"Yosh!" Guy was suddenly fired up, and Sakura could swear she saw flames burning around him. "Let's make it a challenge! We'll see who can get there fastest!" He turned to Lee. "What do you think, Lee?"

"I think it's a great idea, Guy-Sensei!" Lee smiled brightly at his teacher, then turned towards Sakura and Marco. "What do you think, Sakura-San?"

Sakura and Marco were both gone, a log in their place.

"Sakura-San? You can't leave like that, we don't know where the finish line is…"

* * *

Ino had heard from Kiba that Sakura had a new pet bird, so she took some time off from working at the flower shop and all but dragged her teammates over to Sakura's apartment and nearly broke the door down with her incessant knocking so she could meet the avian in question.

She faintly heard Shikamaru mutter 'How troublesome' behind her, but ignored him when a very male voice said to hold on a minute.

"Sakura! Guests!" the voice called behind the door.

"Tell them I'll be a minute!" Sakura's voice was muffled compared to the male voice.

"She'll be a minute," the male voice relayed through the door.

A few minutes later, Sakura answered the door, her hair slightly damp. "Ino! Shikamaru! Choji! I wasn't expecting you!" she greeted, opening the door fully to let them in. The trio entered and Sakura closed the door after them. "Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink, maybe?"

"Some food would be nice," Choji nodded, and Sakura moved over to the kitchen to get something for him.

Ino scanned the room, not seeing any men. "Whose voice was that earlier, Sakura?" she asked, a sly smile crossing her face. "You're not hiding a boyfriend from us, are you?"

Sakura sputtered uselessly for a moment before getting ahold of herself. "What!? No! That was Marco!" she yelped, pointing to the bird that was sitting on the table before resuming her hunt for food.

"Yoi," Marco greeted, lifting his wing in a wave. "It's nice to meet friends of Sakura who use the door."

"…Um, nice to meet you too," Choji frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Sakura sighed. "Naruto keeps coming in through the window, despite the fact that Marco pecks him half to death every time he does," she groaned, producing a bag of chips for Choji, who began eating them. "Marco, the blonde girl is Ino, the one with the pineapple hair is Shikamaru, and the one eating is Choji. Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, this is my pet phoenix, Marco."

Marco locked eyes with Shikamaru, and in that moment he felt like they had some sort of spiritual connection and the bird _pitied_ him, though for the life of him he couldn't imagine what or why that was.

Ino spent the rest of the afternoon chatting to Sakura, while Shikamaru and Choji helped Marco practice speaking. When they left, Marco told Sakura that these were his favorite of her friends so far, as they didn't seem nearly as eccentric as some of her other friends. Her thoughts drifted to Naruto and Lee, and she felt herself agreeing with him.

* * *

Hinata wasn't really sure what to think of the bird. Naruto didn't like him, but he seemed nice enough when she interacted with him in passing. Kiba seemed enthusiastic about the bird's presence, while Shino didn't seem to have an opinion of him either way.

She had decided to steel her courage, and found herself knocking on the door to Sakura's apartment. It wasn't long before Sakura opened it, Marco perched on her shoulder as usual.

"Hinata? What are you doing here?" she asked, confused by the girl's presence.

"I, um… I wanted to get to know Marco," Hinata meekly said, fidgeting with her hands. "He… seems nice, but Naruto's always complaining about how he attacks him… and…" Her face flushed, and Sakura smirked, stepping aside to let her in.

Sakura took a seat at her table, and Hinata sat down across from her while Marco hopped off of Sakura's shoulder and landed on the table. "Um… Marco?" she began. "Why do you attack Naruto?"

"Because he doesn't respect Sakura's privacy, yoi," Marco explained, lifting his wings in what Hinata assumed was a shrug. "He keeps coming in through the window and not knocking on the door, ignoring that she could be doing something private when he comes in. Plus, he's a bit obnoxious and loud-mouthed."

"Um… why is that such a big deal?" Hinata asked. Marco stared at her for a moment, before letting out what she could only guess was the bird equivalent of a sigh.

"It makes Sakura uncomfortable, yoi. I won't tolerate people who hurt or make my family uncomfortable."

Sakura seemed as shocked by his words as Hinata was. Marco considered her family? Was she… some kind of replacement for his previous family? Come to think of it, she hadn't really asked him much about his life before he'd become a bird…

Their thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Sakura got up and answered it, and was greeted by Kiba and Shino.

"Yo, Sakura! Is Hinata here?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, why?" Sakura asked as Hinata made her way over to the group.

"The Hokage has requested our presence," Shino explained. "It's likely she has a mission for us."

Sakura nodded. "All right. Thanks for stopping in, Hinata."

"Um… thank you for having me," Hinata meekly smiled, before waving goodbye to Marco and leaving with her teammates.

Sakura closed the door once they'd left, then went and sat down again. "What sort of mission do you suppose they have, Marco?" she asked, resting her arms on the table.

"Yoi," Marco shrugged. "Probably an important one, though."

* * *

_And so ends Chapter Eight! As I mentioned, it's a bit of a short one, but we're about to get into something rather important. And as I mentioned earlier, a few of these interactions have things hidden in them that'll likely be important later on. If there's one thing I've learned from One Piece, it's that no detail should be spared! I wonder if you can figure out what's going to come up later?_

_-Ink_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Ink's Notes:**_

_Maybe I should stop saying I'll try and get out the chapter soon, because I seem to take longer when I do that... oh well, new chapter time! Sorry for the delay - a lot of things happened, and there was sickness and such, but I'm on Spring Break right now so I'll probably have time to work on this a bit more - and thank you for all the kind reviews!_

Chapter Nine

When Kiba, Hinata, Shino and Akamaru arrived outside of Tsunade's office, Shizune was quick about escorting them inside. They were greeted by the sight of Tsunade behind a somewhat large pile of paperwork, muttering under her breath as she filled out several forms. This unfortunately meant that the shinobi (and one shinobi dog) were stuck standing there for a full ten minutes before Shizune clearing her throat caught Tsunade's attention and alerted her to their presence in her office. Tsunade quickly set aside the paperwork she had been working on and rested her arms on her desk, looking them over.

"Kiba, Hinata, Shino." A quick bark caught her attention. "And Akamaru." The dog wagged his tail at the acknowledgement. "I have an important mission for you," Tsunade explained. "It shouldn't be too hard, given your respective talents, though."

"You need us to track something, then?" Kiba asked as he began stretching his arms in anticipation. He hadn't gone on a mission in a while, and he was itching for some action.

"Sort of," Tsunade frowned, looking to her assistant. "Shizune?"

Shizune cleared her throat before speaking. "I was visiting the library to check the specifics on a certain jutsu when the librarian approached me," she began. "She said that she thinks she's been hearing someone or something in the library late at night for the past week or so. She decided to make sure nothing had been stolen, and while nothing was missing, when she checked the shelves, a few of the scrolls were in different places than she'd put them. The scrolls in question," Shizune took a moment to compose herself, "Were on Space-Time Ninjutsu."

Kiba recoiled, Hinata flinched and tensed up, and Akamaru whined. "So you think someone's sneaking into the library to research Space-Time Ninjutsu," Shino determined, eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

Tsunade nodded. "I want the three of you to figure out who they are and, if possible, detain them, especially if they're an unknown."

The three shinobi nodded. "Understood," they chimed, before leaving to prepare for their mission.

* * *

"Anything yet?" Kiba sounded impatient as his voice came through Hinata's radio, and for once, she could understand why he sounded so annoyed. The group had arrived outside of the library three hours ago, and they had split up so each of them could find a good hiding spot where they could properly scout for their mysterious intruder. So far, they hadn't seen head or tail of him or her, despite the fact that it was approaching one in the morning.

"My bugs have been checking the surrounding area," Shino's voice responded after about a minute of silence. "They haven't found anyone heading inside. Perhaps he or she went inside before we arrived."

Hinata frowned, closing her eyes and channeling her chakra. When she opened them again, she activated her _Byakugan_, and looked inside of the library, scanning for any sign of anyone. She noted Shino, Kiba and Akamaru in their hiding spots in her near 360º field of vision, but her immediate focus was drawn to the library when she saw a figure seated at one of the tables.

"…There's someone there," she slowly spoke into the radio, and in her field of vision, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru all tensed up. "A man, sitting at a table, reading. But…" She swallowed nervously.

"But what?" Kiba urged her to finish her thought.

"His chakra seems… strange somehow," Hinata explained. "It's… like blue fire flows through his body instead of chakra?" She wasn't sure how else to describe it.

"So it's likely that he's dangerous," Shino concluded. "We'd best bring him in. He could be a threat to the village's safety."

His teammates agreed, and before long, the four had gathered in front of the library. Kiba opened the door, and he and Akamaru charged in, followed by Shino and Hinata. Each slid into a battle stance as they stood a few feet away from the table where the man sat. The lighting was low, but they could still get a good idea of what he looked like, and each one scanned his appearance to try and figure out if he was any sort of missing-nin or other outlaw.

He had tan skin, and was wearing a purple long sleeved collared shirt that was unbuttoned, revealing a rather well toned chest and a blue tattoo that seemed to be a combination of a cross and a crescent moon turned on its side. He wore a light blue sash around his waist, with a belt looped through part of it, and blue jeans rolled up to the knees. He wore sandals that wrapped around his ankles and lower legs, and around his left leg there was a white, feathered band. The thing that stood out the most to the group, though, was his blond hair that vaguely reminded them of a pineapple. Kiba silently wondered if he was a distant relative to the Nara clan.

The man was the epitome of calm as he closed the scroll he was reading, gently pushing it off to the side. He stood up, scratching behind his head as he looked over the three shinobi plus one dog. "Hey, hey, no need for that," he gently smiled. "This is a library, yeah? Fighting here would be a bad idea. We could damage something."

Kiba stared at the man like he was crazy, while Hinata loosened her stance. Shino didn't visibly react, but Hinata noticed his bugs preparing themselves in his sleeves. "Why… are you worried about damaging something?" Hinata cautiously asked, doing her best to remain on guard, her _Byakugan_ still active.

"Wouldn't do me much good to damage something. I just wanna gather what information I can and leave," the man explained, yawning as he did so. Hinata noticed that he looked a bit tired, as if he hadn't slept for some time. "But I guess you guys won't let me just keep doing my research, huh?"

"Your research could very well put our village at risk," Shino calmly pointed out. "We have been tasked to bring you in, as you are an unknown factor and therefore a threat."

Hinata observed the man's strange chakra flare, as if he were preparing to fight, and Akamaru tensed up slightly, but the flare was gone as quickly as it had come.

"All right, fair enough… I was hoping to avoid this, but I guess I have no choice." Kiba heard him mutter something about 'marines' before he lifted his hands. All three shinobi tensed up and got ready to fight, before they realized he was extending his arms towards them, hands in fists. "You'll want me cuffed, right?"

Hinata looked at Kiba, then at Shino, before speaking up. "If… as long as you come peacefully, we… we won't have to do that. But… if you try and resist we will have… to detain you," she explained.

The man lowered his arms. "All right, that's fair. Let me just put this back where I found it." He picked up the scroll, and Shino stepped forward.

"You won't mind if I watch you so you don't try to run away, correct?" he asked, though it wasn't really a question.

The man muttered something which Kiba could faintly make out as 'There goes that idea' before nodding and motioning for Shino to follow him. After a few minutes, the two returned, the man resting his hands behind his head.

"Well, let's get going," he smirked, before covering his mouth as he yawned again. Kiba and Hinata exchanged glances.

"Hinata, can you go ahead and tell the Hokage we're bringing our stranger in?" Kiba asked. Hinata nodded and dashed ahead towards her office. "All right, come on. We'll walk there to give the Hokage some time to prepare," he sighed, cleaning out one of his ears with his finger. "Let's go."

The man smiled. "Lead the way."

* * *

_And that brings this chapter to a close. I think everyone should know who our friend is, but of course the shinobi have no idea just yet. I wonder how this'll play out, hmm~?_

_See you next time!_

_-Ink_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Ink's Notes: **_

_I managed to get this one done rather quickly! Things just kind of flowed after the last one, and here we are! I won't say anything else, since I don't think anything else needs to be said. Here we go~!_

Chapter Ten

Tsunade was beginning to consider prescribing herself some headache medicine.

First, Hinata had shown up and told her they'd managed to bring in their stranger without a fight and Kiba, Akamaru and Shino were escorting him over.

Then, the group in question had arrived, and the man had regarded Tsunade with something that seemed to be a combination of caution, respect, and snark.

Finally, she'd decided that she was _not_ in the mood to deal with him at the early hours of the morning, so she'd had Shizune escort him to the cells (to which the man had said something about his current residence being _far_ more comfortable) where he would rest until the morning.

And so morning had come, and Shizune had escorted the man back to her office before leaving the two of them alone, where the man was currently leaning back in a chair, balancing it on its back legs, hands behind his head. Tsunade was having a hard time getting a reading off of him – despite the fact that he didn't appear to be older than thirty or forty, he had a masterful disposition around him that indicated _years_ of experience, and the few emotions she _could_ get off of him seemed to be boredom, calmness (though, she noted, it felt more like the calm before a storm), and just a touch of worry.

Tsunade rubbed her temples before letting out a long sigh. She seriously wished she had a bottle of alcohol to help her get through what she knew would be a difficult session of questioning this stranger.

"All right," she began, staring directly into his eyes to try and intimidate him. "First things first. What's your name?"

The man stretched as he lowered the chair back to its normal position. He returned her gaze, completely unintimidated, before answering. "Edward Newgate."

Tsunade frowned. He didn't _sound_ like he was lying, but there was a bit of hesitation, and a touch of sadness had crossed his eyes when he said the name. If he was lying, then the name probably belonged to someone he was close to, and calling him out on it probably wouldn't be the best idea.

She _really_ wished that she had a Yamanaka here to make the questioning easier.

"All right, _Edward_," she sighed, trying to make it clear that she knew it was likely he hadn't given her his real name without flat-out _saying_ it, "Where are you from?"

"The sea," he responded, his grin indicating that he knew exactly how vague he was being.

"The sea could describe any number of places," Tsunade groaned. "_Where_ _are you from?_" she repeated, her tone making it clear that she would not tolerate these half answers from him.

"I just told you," Edward responded, not intimidated by her in the slightest. "The sea."

"Okay, supposing you _are_ from the sea, how can you not be from a specific place on the sea?" she countered. She hadn't even been talking to him for five minutes and he was beginning to frustrate her to no end.

"Because I don't have a house on any continent," he elaborated in what Tsunade considered the most vague method possible.

Deciding her current train of questions wasn't going anywhere, she decided to go down a different track. "What's your occupation? You don't look like a shinobi." Indeed, Edward lacked a forehead protector of any sort, and he didn't have any pouches for kunai or other ninja tools.

"Sailor," Edward responded. "That being how I'm from the sea, _Hokage-san_." He punctuated the name with a smug grin.

_Oh._ Well, now she felt like a complete fool. Tsunade rubbed her temples, then looked over at the door. "Shizune!"

Her assistant entered the room upon being called. "Yes, Lady Tsunade?" she asked, flinching upon seeing the expression of utter annoyance on her face.

"Would you tell Tama to go and get Sakura?" Tsunade asked, barely concealing her rage through clenched teeth. If she hadn't been, she might have noticed Edward tense up slightly. "And would you get _me_ a bottle of alcohol?"

"Ah… Lady Tsunade, you shouldn't be drinking while you question a-" She was cut off when Edward lifted his hand to motion for her to stop.

"Actually, alcohol sounds good right now," he grinned. "Haven't been able to buy any on account of currency issues. Mind getting me one as well?"

Shizune's head dropped, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. "Very well," she sighed, turning to leave the room.

* * *

Sakura was getting worried. When she'd woken up, she hadn't heard the telltale signs of Naruto being attacked by Marco, even though after she'd showered, the shinobi in question was sitting on her couch and enjoying the leftovers she'd planned on having for breakfast.

"Ah, good morning, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto grinned, waving at her.

Sakura scanned the room, seeing no sign of her phoenix friend. "Naruto, did you chase Marco away?" she asked, going over to the window and looking outside to see if he was flying around in the area. When she saw no sign of him, she turned her attention back to her teammate.

"Eh? Sakura-Chan, I wouldn't do that. He's great stealth training!" Naruto grinned. "Besides, no matter how much I don't like him, you do, and chasing him away would make you upset."

Sakura sighed. Once Marco's speech was good enough, he'd told Naruto to stop coming in through the window because he would never be able to sneak past him, "Especially dressed like that, yoi." Naruto had, of course, taken this as a challenge, and made it a point to try and sneak into her apartment every morning without Marco noticing him.

(It never worked, and Marco was always staring directly at him the moment he came in through the window. Naruto had declared that the bird was "somehow cheating".)

"Then where is he?" Sakura asked, closing her window and turning to face Naruto, who shrugged in response.

"Maybe he left? I mean, he's strong and can talk, why would he need you to take care of him?" Naruto pointed out.

"Naruto! Marco wouldn't do that!" Sakura snapped at her friend. When she saw his confused expression, she continued. "He… considers me family."

Naruto stared at her, obviously still confused. "What?"

Sakura sighed. "Hinata came over yesterday and asked why he doesn't like you. He said that it's because you keep coming in through the window, despite the fact that I could be doing something private when you do. When she asked why that was a problem, he said that it was because it made me uncomfortable, and…" She sighed happily. "He said he wouldn't tolerate people who hurt or make his family uncomfortable." Sakura smiled. She was rather touched that Marco considered her family. It was just a word, but it somehow made her happy.

Naruto looked like he was about to say something else when there was a knock on Sakura's door. She moved over and answered it, before opening it fully.

"Tama!" she greeted with a smile, stepping aside to let him in. He fidgeted a moment, before entering and letting Sakura close the door after him.

Tama had cleaned himself up since they'd brought him to Konoha. He'd gotten a haircut, so his messy hair was now short and neat, though there were a few rowdy bangs on his forehead that refused to cooperate. His dark clothing had been exchanged for a green vest, a light brown shirt, and dark green pants. A Konoha forehead protector had replaced his old one, and was worn proudly on his forehead.

"Hey, Tama!" Naruto greeted with a smile. "You're a Konoha shinobi now?"

Tama nodded. "When you brought me in, Kakashi asked the Hokage to test my skills and see if I could become a ninja for Konoha." He adjusted his new forehead protector. "I'm not allowed to go outside of the village because I used to be a missing-nin, but I'm allowed to help civilians and protect the village in case of an attack. I've also been practicing my range with dirt clones, so I can have them appear anywhere in the village to deliver messages." He paused, and then added, "Though, I still have at least three ANBU following me to make sure I don't try anything."

"That's great, Tama!" Sakura smiled, choosing to ignore the last part. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sorry, I can't," he frowned. "I'm actually here to retrieve you, Sakura. The Hokage wants you in her office, something about questioning a stranger?"

"Why me?" Sakura asked, gently tilting her head to the side. "Wouldn't Ino or another Yamanaka make more sense?"

"From what I understand, they're all busy. I think Tsunade wants to try a 'good cop, bad cop' with the guy, and if that fails she'll get one of them," Tama explained.

Sakura frowned, then glared at Naruto, who took the hint and headed for the door. She opened it, letting the group outside, before closing and locking it and allowing Tama to lead her to Hokage Tower.

"Say, Sakura," Tama began. "Where's Marco? I didn't see him in your apartment."

Sakura frowned, looking up at the sky in hopes of seeing her phoenix flying around. "He wasn't there when I woke up this morning," she explained. "I think he might have gone out for an evening flight and is just late coming home, but if he's not back by the time I get back from the Hokage's office…"

Tama nodded. "If you'd like, I can help you find him. He's terrifying, yeah, but if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had a second chance."

Sakura smiled. "I'd like that," she nodded.

The two walked in relative silence after that, before parting ways at the tower and agreeing to meet up at a restaurant for lunch once Sakura was done. Sakura made her way up to Tsunade's office, where she ran into Shizune, who was carrying two bottles of alcohol.

Seeing Sakura eye the bottles, Shizune explained. "One for Tsunade, one for Edward."

"Edward?" Sakura asked.

"The man Tsunade is having trouble questioning," Shizune sighed. "He's answering honestly, but he's being as vague as possible about it, and it's frustrating her."

Sakura briefly sympathized, before opening the door to allow Shizune to enter and following her in, closing the door after them. Shizune handed one bottle to Tsunade, and the other to the blond stranger who Sakura assumed was Edward. She briefly noted that his clothing was odd and he didn't seem to be a shinobi, but something about him felt somehow familiar.

Tsunade sighed. "Sakura. This is Edward Newgate. He's apparently a sailor, and… that's about all I've managed to get out of him. He was sneaking into the library and doing research on Space-Time Ninjutsu." She rubbed her temples. "Do you mind helping me question him? I don't know how much longer I can deal with his half-answers."

Sakura nodded. "Of course, Lady Tsunade." She turned to face Edward, who seemed… nervous, somehow? She pushed the thought away. "So, Edward. Why were you researching those Ninjutsu?"

Edward seemed to be debating internally about something, before he sighed and took a swig of his alcohol. "Just trying to get home," he responded, in a voice all too familiar to Sakura. She froze, processing it for a few minutes. It couldn't be, could it? But… that would explain why…

When she managed to speak again, it was barely a squeak.

"Marco…?"

* * *

_Uh-oh._

_Hope you enjoyed the chapter._

_-Ink_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Ink's**** Notes:**_

_Hello! Sorry this took so long. There's some stuff going on and I'd rather not talk about it but it seems to be calming down now. At least, I hope. Anyway, this one's a pretty big chapter, so I won't delay you any longer. Hope you enjoy!_

Chapter Eleven

Tsunade's eyes went from Edward, to Sakura, back to Edward, before she voiced her thoughts on the matter. "Sakura. Marco is a bird. Edward is a human. He can't be-"

She was interrupted when Edward lifted his hand and shook his head.

"Lady Tsunade," Sakura slowly spoke as she regained her composure. "I… Marco told me that he was a human who had been turned into a bird. And I recognize his voice. This… this is definitely Marco." Tears began to form in her eyes. She felt betrayed somehow, like he'd only been using her.

"Sakura…" Edward- no, Marco- frowned. He looked upset with himself. "…I was planning on telling you soon. I would never keep a secret from my nakama – my family." He got up from his chair, then pulled her into a hug. "I kept putting it off because I thought you might react this way, and because I knew you probably wouldn't believe me, yoi. I... I'm sorry." Tsunade cleared her throat, and while Marco turned his attention to her, he didn't let go of Sakura. "I'm afraid I don't trust you enough to tell you the full truth, Hokage-san," he frowned, slightly upset because of the interruption. "But I'll give you the basics. I plan on telling Sakura everything, though, and if she thinks you can handle it, I'll give her permission to tell you."

Sakura wiped her tears, starting to feel a bit better. Finding out Marco was able to become a human again on his own, plus that he was apparently researching jutsu in secret, had made her feel like he was just using her as a cover story. His saying he'd been planning on telling her had made her feel a little bit better. Him calling her his nakama – his family – had helped even more. But when he'd told Tsunade that he didn't trust her, and that he would only tell the full story to Sakura, she knew that it wasn't a lie. He was still Marco. He was just worried about telling her something he thought she wouldn't believe.

Marco loosened his grip on Sakura, and she pulled herself out of his arms, allowing him to properly face Tsunade. Sakura herself took a few steps backwards to give him some space. "Basically, my crew and I were attacked by a powerful enemy. He used a jutsu on me, and I wound up in the area." Marco scratched behind his head. "I decided to scout the area as a phoenix, but then those traders captured me. I was planning on breaking out on my own, but then Sakura came in, and… well… turning back to myself would have just freaked her out, yoi. I wanted to keep a low profile so I could get a better grip on my situation." He sighed. "Like I said, I'm just trying to get home. I figured those ninjutsu would be able to help me do that."

"Um," Shizune spoke up, and Sakura jumped slightly, having forgotten that she was in the room due to her emotional state. "Forgive me for asking, but… you implied you could _willingly _change between your bird and human forms?"

Marco looked up at the ceiling. "You want me to demonstrate, yoi."

"If it's possible," she confirmed with a nod. Sakura moved closer to Shizune, and Tsunade began watching him intently, as if hoping to better understand the man.

Marco sighed. "Don't worry. It won't burn anything." Before any of them could ask, blue flames wrapped around his body. Sakura jumped backwards in shock, while Shizune slipped into a battle stance. Tsunade just kept her eyes on the flames as they enveloped the man, watching the form fade within the fire. The flames began to shift, outstretching into wings, forming into talons and a head, gathering and compressing into a body…

Only a few seconds had passed, but where a man had once stood, the phoenix that Sakura had grown so accustomed to having around was hovering in midair. He lowered himself onto the chair he'd once been sitting on.

"As I introduced myself to you on day one," he smiled. "Marco the _Phoenix_."

* * *

"Tama!" The former missing-nin in question looked up upon hearing his name called, turning to face Sakura and the phoenix that was once again perched on her shoulder.

"Sakura! I see you found Marco!" he smiled, shaking her hand. He lifted a hand to Marco, who shook it with his wing. "Where was he?"

"In the Hokage's office," Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead. She would rather not explain the whole thing to him, but she had a feeling that he'd had a rough idea.

Her suspicions were confirmed when, after making sure no one was listening, he leaned forward and asked in a hushed voice, "So Marco was the one they were questioning?"

"Yes," Sakura frowned. "How did you know that he's… well…" She would have continued, but there were people around.

"The reason I was calling him a monster when we first met," he explained. "When we were fighting, I thought I was imagining it, but his wing turned into an arm, and…"

Sakura turned her head to look at Marco, and he sighed, shaking his head. "I'll explain later, yoi," was the only explanation he gave.

"Admittedly, part of the reason was because I was afraid of him, because what kind of bird is that strong?" Tama pointed out. "But the more I thought about it, the more I kept thinking back to what I thought was a genjutsu of sorts, and how when I was temporarily blinded it felt like I was being attacked by a human and not a bird… I didn't have any proof, so I didn't say anything, but… well…" He looked at Marco. "I don't think they'd keep him around while questioning someone suspicious, nor would they question a bird, especially when that bird is an ally of Konoha."

Sakura smiled. She somehow felt better knowing that she at least had someone besides Tsunade and Shizune to talk to about Marco. Maybe she'd include him on the admittedly short list of people she told his story, provided she didn't think it was too hard to believe.

A growl cut into her thoughts, and her gaze followed Tama's to Marco, who had a wing on his stomach and was looking rather embarrassed. "...Can we get some food? They didn't give me any. I'm _starving_, yoi."

Tama sighed. "If he's starving, can we split the bill? After seeing him eat when _hungry_ on the way back from that mission, I'd rather not pay for a _starving_ Marco." Sakura sympathized, then wondered if perhaps Marco would begin taking missions for the village now that Tsunade knew he was actually a human. It'd make paying for things a lot easier, especially considering how much he could eat.

* * *

Sakura closed the door to her apartment, and Marco left her shoulder, gliding into the living room before he shifted into his human form once again. She had to admit, it would take some getting used to, but he'd told her that he would remain in phoenix form if it made her more comfortable. He just wanted to be a human when he was telling her what happened for some reason.

Once she'd locked the door, Sakura took a seat at the kitchen table across from Marco, who had made himself comfortable but was still fidgeting. She rested her arms on the table, leaned forward, and prepared herself for what she hoped was a story that wasn't too hard to believe. Considering how Marco appeared to be mentally preparing himself, it seemed like her hopes were about to be crushed, but the least she could do was brace herself for his sake.

After a moment, Marco took a deep breath, exhaled, and rested his arms on the table. "All right, Sakura. Before I begin, I just want to say something. You know I consider you my family. I would never lie to my family, because I know that they'll have to learn the truth sooner or later, and sometimes the truth hurts more when you've been lied to for a long time. Everything that I'm about to tell you is the honest truth, no matter how hard it is to believe. I'm going to be talking about things that might make your head spin, might make you question my sanity… but everything I'm telling you is the truth. You understand, right?"

Sakura looked into his eyes, and saw that he was desperately hoping that she did. She responded by nodding and letting him continue.

"All right… I'm just going to get the biggest one out of the way first," he sighed. "I'm not from this world."

The words hung in the air for a moment as Sakura processed them.

"What?" she managed to squeak out. "But- how- you said a jutsu-"

He shook his head. "I lied. It wasn't a jutsu, but it was similar. I'll get to that in a moment, but… do you have a paper and a pen?"

Shaking, Sakura stood up and retrieved the items he'd asked for. She placed them on the table in front of him, and he picked up the pen and began to draw. Once he was finished, he'd drawn two vertical lines in the center of the paper, and four going horizontally across the center of the map, the center two lines further apart from each other than the outer two lines were to the center lines. He labeled the top left section "North Blue", the top right corner "East Blue", the bottom right corner "South Blue", the bottom left corner "West Blue", the vertical divide in the center "Red Line", the two smaller horizontal divides "Calm Belt" and the final horizontal divide "Grand Line".

"This," he tapped the paper with his finger, "Is an approximate map of my world. Everything on this map aside from the Red Line is water. That's how I knew I wasn't in my own world when I arrived."

"But then where do people live?" Sakura asked, already having trouble wrapping her head around the whole thing.

"Islands," Marco explained. "Scattered throughout the blues and the Grand Line are various islands, each with different kinds of climates. It's… hard to explain, and not really necessary, so I won't bother with all of that." Sakura internally thanked him as he continued. "Anyway, partly because of the fact that the world's covered in so much water, but mostly because of a man named Gol D. Roger, there are two main forces in my world." He lifted two fingers. "Pirates and Marines. I'm one of the former." Before Sakura could say anything, he motioned for her to wait. "There's also subsets of each type. Pirates in particular have two types – Morganeers and Peace Mains. Morganeers are the type you're probably thinking of right now, the sort who attack villages, pillage, plunder, that sort of thing. Peace Mains are the sort who hang a pirate flag for the sake of adventure or being free. They generally won't attack people unless they've hurt someone they care about." Sakura felt herself relaxing, and Marco smiled. "As you may have gathered, I'm a Peace Main. Acting Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"_Acting_ Captain?" Sakura asked, and Marco's face slid into a frown.

"Our former Captain, Edward Newgate – also known as Whitebeard, though we all called him Pops – died in a war. As the first mate and First Division Commander, I was left to take charge of the crew," he explained, staring at the map in front of him.

It was Sakura's turn to frown. Edward Newgate was the name he'd used when he was keeping his identity a secret from Tsunade. Now that she knew the origins of the name… it was taking a combination of her willpower and the fact that he was still telling his story to keep her from leaping over the table and hugging him.

"Now, in my world, people don't use chakra, or jutsu, or anything like that. There are three options instead. The first is to train in martial arts, or learn to use a weapon, or some other form of combat that will help keep you safe or allow you to fight. The second is Haki, which is a technique based on spirit and willpower. Haki itself is divided into three sub-types: Armament, Observation, and Conquerer's. Conquerer's is a one in a million chance, and not many people have it, but anyone can learn Armament and Observation."

"Armament? Observation?" Sakura asked, now genuinely curious. If anyone could learn those things, then maybe he could teach her.

Marco nodded. "Armament Haki is like wearing some sort of armor." He lifted his arm, and it became coated in a black color. Sakura stared, recognizing this from their fight with Ryo. "It ups your physical strength, allowing you to both hit harder and defend yourself better. It also lets you hit people using a technique to change the composition of their bodies." Sakura nodded as the black coating left his arm, and he rest it on the table again. "Observation Haki, on the other hand, lets you sense presences and predict an opponent's movements. It can also give you an idea of how strong somebody is."

Sakura came to a realization. "Oh! That's how you were able to tell when someone was watching us, and how you always seem to know when someone's coming!"

Marco nodded. "That's right, yoi," he smiled. "As far as the third option goes, it's about the closest to jutsu people from my world will get. It's why I'm able to turn into a phoenix, and it's also why I'm here."

Sakura leaned forward.

"They're called Devil Fruits. No one's really sure about their origins, though most people say they're fruit created by the devil himself and born from the sea. Eating one gives you incredible powers in exchange for your ability to swim. If you get about waist-deep in water, you become weak and in some cases unable to use your ability, and if you fall into the water you sink like a hammer and are unable to move on your own," Marco explained.

"And people eat those in a world covered by water?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

Marco smirked. "They're really useful, even if they do taste terrible. A lot of Pirates and Marines have eaten them. There are three types – Paramecia, Logia and Zoan. Paramecia is a sort of catch-all category. They give the eater some sort of weird ability. Pops ate a Paramecia that gave him the power to create vibrations. In his hands, he could create earthquakes, crack the sky, cause tsunamis…" Sakura shuddered at Marco's casual description. "The Marines often claimed he had the power to destroy the world, and called him 'The Strongest Man in the World'." Marco let out a happy sigh. "Pops was a great man and a great Captain…"

He stared at the ceiling for a moment, before Sakura gently coughed to get him to continue.

"Right… next is Logia. They're considered the most rare of the Devil Fruits. They give the eater the ability to control, create and become some sort of element. One of my nakama, Portgas D. Ace, ate a Logia type that gave him the ability to become fire. They called him 'Fire Fist Ace'. He was the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander. Logia are widely regarded as the strongest of the Devil Fruits, but anyone with Armament Haki can deal damage to them even if they become immaterial, and since Armament Haki can be infused into weaponry, it can often be fatal for them…"

Sakura understood what he was getting at and decided to step in. "And Zoan?"

Marco nodded a silent thanks before he continued. "I myself ate a Zoan type. Zoan types allow the user to shapeshift, so to speak. They can become an animal, or…" He lifted his arm, and flames wrapped around it until it was a phoenix wing. "An animal-human hybrid. Zoan types get all the benefits of whatever species they turn into. I myself ate a Mystical Zoan type that allows me to turn into a phoenix." He let the flames die down, and his arm returned to normal. "Hence my nickname, 'Marco the Phoenix'."

"I'm… guessing that it's because of a Devil's Fruit user that you're here?" Sakura asked.

Marco nodded in response. "Before he died, Pops was the Captain of one of four Pirate crews known as the Yonko – the Four Emperors. Four powerful Pirate Crews who ruled over the latter half of the Grand Line, often protecting islands they either like or their friends and allies live on." He tapped the part of the map that Sakura assumed he was talking about. "There's a few options when it comes to dealing with the Yonko. The first is to just leave them alone. If you don't do anything to get them upset, then they won't usually bother with you. The second is to fall under their command and become their allies. The third…" Marco sighed. "Is to go against them."

"But if they're so powerful, why would anyone go against them?" Sakura asked.

"Some Pirates are just like that," Marco responded. "Sometimes they want to show the world how strong they are. Some of the Yonko aren't nice people and have angered a crew of Peace Mains in some way. It just depends on the situation. The Whitebeard Pirates, being a former Yonko crew, are a kind of gray area. After Pops' death, we were no longer considered a Yonko crew, since that bastard Teach-" Marco clenched his fists, and blue flames wrapped around them, before he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "-Took over most of Pops' old territories."

Sakura wondered who this 'Teach' was, but judging by Marco's reaction to him, he wasn't someone she wanted to know about just yet.

"Since we were a former Yonko crew, we could still be attacked as a display of power, but without the consequences of dealing with allies of that Yonko crew. As a result, more Pirate crews would attack us, and we'd have to deal with fighting them off. The latest of those was a group led by a Pirate who ate a Devil's Fruit that gave him the ability to teleport."

Sakura was smart enough to understand where this was going.

"Crews in the New World are strong, so it's not like it was an easy battle. His teleporting made him hard to hit, but I could feel him out with my Haki and managed to wear him down. As a last-ditch effort, he tried teleporting _me_, and the next thing I knew, I was here." Marco rubbed his forehead. "I decided to scout in my phoenix form and see where I was, since if I'd landed on an island in the area I could reasonably call my crew and meet up with them somewhere, but I had no idea what jutsu were or how anything in this world worked, so I wound up captured by traders. That was when I met you." He sighed. "When you brought me here, I figured I'd be able to check around the library and find something that could help me get back home to my family. But the more time I spent doing it, the more I felt bad because it felt like I was using you to do that, so I decided to tell you… then I got caught by your friends, and, well, you know the rest."

Marco had to stumble in order to keep his balance when the table was _thrown_ to the side by Sakura, who closed the distance between them and embraced him in a hug.

"It's okay," she smiled. "I understand. I'm your nakama – your family. Of course I understand." Marco found himself smiling as he hugged her back. "If it means that much to you, I'll help you find a way back. Even if- even if it'll be sad to see you go." She released him, pulling away as she forced herself to smile, despite the tears she felt forming in her eyes. "Because it's important to you, and family helps each other, and-"

"Sakura," Marco's smile didn't leave his face. "How would you like to join the Whitebeard Pirates?"

* * *

_And so ends this chapter. It got kind of long, and for that I apologize. But we finally know how Marco wound up in the wonderful world of Naruto! Maybe when I have more spare time, I should write a fanfic about the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates forcing the teleport-y guy to bring them to where he sent Marco, but because it was a last-ditch effort, he's not sure where he sent Marco so they wind up somewhere completely different, and end up going from world to world looking for Marco with this teleporting guy being how they get from Point A to Point B to Point Q. Alternatively, I could have them show up at a later date... well, we'll see how things go, aye?_

_In other, totally unrelated news, I had a dumb thought about a potential line from either Tobi or Madara when they're interacting for whatever reason. "If you're Madara, and I'm Madara, then who's driving the plane?" ...Yes, dumb, I know, but these sorts of things happen when I'm trying to sleep. Sometimes I worry about myself._

_I think I should just close things up before I start rambling, as I'm prone to doing sometimes... see you next chapter, whenever I get that done!_

_-Ink_


End file.
